


and you better come to play

by GuardianKarenTerrier



Series: Week Three: Talents [4]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Kitty Section, i really love jagged stone, liberty!adrien
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 11:53:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20358043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GuardianKarenTerrier/pseuds/GuardianKarenTerrier
Summary: Adrien's happy for the surge of support Kitty Section sees right after Luka's akumatisation (if less happy to see Luka akumatised at all), but he doesn't expect the ripple effect from it to hit him twice over.The first reason is that Juleka has never stopped listing him as a band member, meaning that Adrien officially is a member of Kitty Section regardless of how infrequently he gets to play with them, and that means people have started asking where their keyboardist is.Juleka had not, Adrien is glad to learn, ever given his full name, and the first time he makes it to the Liberty for practice after the entire debacle with Bob Roth he's immediately handed a mask with a lot of wry smiles from the others.He hadn't realised that they all knew already that Adrien didn't have actual permission to be in the band at all, much less spending any of his time at practice.The second reason really shouldn't have ended up involving him at all, but he ends up caught up in it anyway.





	and you better come to play

**Author's Note:**

> for the 'puns' prompt for adrienaugreste
> 
> thanks shinobicyrus!

Adrien's happy for the surge of support Kitty Section sees right after Luka's akumatisation (if less happy to see Luka akumatised at all), but he doesn't expect the ripple effect from it to hit _ him _twice over.

The first reason is that Juleka has never stopped listing him as a band member, meaning that Adrien officially _ is _ a member of Kitty Section regardless of how infrequently he gets to play with them, and that means people have started asking where their keyboardist is. 

Juleka had _ not_, Adrien is glad to learn, ever given his full name, and the first time he makes it to the Liberty for practice after the entire debacle with Bob Roth he's immediately handed a mask with a lot of wry smiles from the others. 

He hadn't realised that they all knew already that Adrien didn't have actual permission to be in the band at all, much less spending any of his time at practice. 

The second reason really shouldn't have ended up involving him at all, but he ends up caught up in it anyway.

It's surprisingly easy to forget that Marinette does work for Jagged Stone often enough that he's willing to drop by for visits. Marinette doesn't mention it very often, so although Adrien's signed album cover is still next to his computer rather than on his shelves with the rest of his music he doesn't think much about the fact that Jagged Stone is fond enough of Marinette to _ drop whatever he's doing _ and come to see her.

And he wants to ask her if 'her band' wants to help with writing his next album. 

"It's- it's not my band," Marinette protests, looking around at the others with her expression caught somewhere between mortification and panic. "I'm not in the band at all, actually, I just do costume design-"

"And it's brilliant costume design!" Jagged Stone enthuses, while behind him Penny pinches the bridge of her nose and takes a deep breath. Adrien had caught her staring blankly at a day planner a few minutes ago before she'd tossed it overboard in evident despair. "Just what I'd expect from you, Marinette! Brilliant costume design for a brilliant band and, you know, the idea to help give an up and coming band exposure- the idea itself isn't bad, and I've been getting a bit bored-"

Adrien's still watching Penny, and he hears Juleka stifle a laugh too when Penny glares at Jagged from behind and makes a throat-slitting gesture.

"-anyway," Jagged says. "I love your energy, and I want your help with the next album. You don't have to, obviously, but you'd all be fully credited-"

_ "We want to," _ Rose says eagerly, pulling against Juleka's hold on her arm. Juleka currently has a very, _very_ tight grip on Rose's arm, because Jagged had brought Fang along and Rose keeps trying to pet him.

Luka slides between Juleka and Marinette, coming to a halt inches from Fang. "We'd love to, but we do have at least one problem." He reaches out and puts a hand on Adrien's shoulder. "We want everyone to get that credit, but it's kind of a secret that Adrien's in the band with us."

When Jagged looks over at him, Adrien smiles weakly and holds up his mask in answer.

The fact that his mask is a cat mask is purely coincidental. The band’s called Kitty Section- it _ has _to be purely coincidental. 

Jagged Stone considers that for maybe half a second, then says, "Well, then, I guess you should come up with a stage name. I can help!"

"_Please _ don't let him help," Penny says, tiredly. "Please, _please_ do not let him help."

They end up enthusiastically and unanimously agreeing to work with Jagged Stone, who seems very pleased with himself and takes off again well ahead of Penny, who sighs and says she'll be back with contracts the next day.

"We actually _ trust _Jagged," Marinette assures her, only for Penny to shake her head.

"I'm glad to hear it, but you should still have a contract," she says firmly, looking around to try and meet everyone's eyes. "I know you trust Jagged, and trust me we both appreciate it, but you should _ always _ have a contract, okay? Always get your agreements in writing."

She does come back the next day with individual contracts for everyone, including an anonymity clause for Adrien (she also seems to know exactly who Adrien is and why he's not supposed to be here), and an extra contract for Marinette as their costume designer. Fang and Jagged Stone aren't with her that time- when Ivan asks, she says she's finally gotten him to follow his schedule.

Ivan pauses, then says slowly, "So he's where he's supposed to be, but you're _ here_?"

Penny freezes, sighs, and says tiredly, "Okay, I had better go find him now that I've delivered these. _Read them_ before you sign anything and I'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

She gets a chorus of agreement before leaving to collect her wayward rock star. 

"Does anyone else feel like maybe Jagged Stone needs a babysitter?" Rose wonders out loud, staring after Penny. 

"Yes," Juleka assures her. "Yes we do."

"Pretty sure Penny counts." Marinette is already flipping through her contracts, brows furrowed in concentration. "Wow, she made sure these were _ super _ inclusive. We keep all the rights to anything you write _and_ anything you end up wearing."

Luka slips behind her and looks over her shoulder at her doubled set of contracts. "Marinette, it should specify that any clothing designs are _ yours_, specifically, not the band's. They're your work."

"They're your costumes," Marinette points out, but she sounds hesitant.

Rose pipes up, too. "We wouldn't have them without you, though, Marinette!"

"You know Penny will change the wording if you just ask her about it," Adrien says, as gently as he can, not wanting to startle Marinette. She does still tend to jump when he first talks to her, although by now she usually regains her confidence once they've been talking for a while. "Don't sign it yet, Marinette, just wait and ask Penny tomorrow."

The second reason that Adrien ends up pulled into the situation is a little more complicated.

Most of the songs they start writing together, stopping frequently to ask Jagged Stone for advice (and Jagged Stone is just- _there_, sometimes, at practice now, which has not stopped being kind of unbelievable), and so most of their songs are at least close to their usual performances. 

A couple of them, however, are experimental departions from their preferred style. 

Luka writes most of ‘_Follow Me To Freedom_’, which is closer to an anthem than they've tried before, and they switch singers to Luka for the vocals. 

The problems start when Jagged Stone somehow gets the idea into his head that he wants- _ needs _\- to ask Ladybug and Chat Noir to help them with a bonus track. 

Adrien doesn't really have objections to that, it sounds fun and it's one of the very few times someone has made it very clear that they would understand if their answer was no. 

The problem is that Jagged has it in his head that he wants the two of them to write the _ lyrics _ to said bonus track.

Which leads to Chat Noir huddled halfway up the Eiffel Tower on one of the support struts with Ladybug, both of them hunched over a single journal and scribbling furiously as they pass it back and forth. 

"Oh, I really hope he's happy with this," Ladybug says, fretting in a way he rarely sees from her even in battle. They'd admitted to each other early on that they were both huge Jagged Stone fans. 

"Me too, my Lady," Chat Noir answers, frowning as she passes the journal back to him. He studies what they have so far- which is mostly scattered words and phrases with no real connection- and then starts to grin. "Hey, LB- how do you think Jagged feels about puns?"

"Kitty," Ladybug says, warily. "What, exactly, are you planning?"

Chat Noir and Ladybug make a point of showing up together on the Liberty to offer Penny and Jagged Stone their suggested lyrics.

Penny looks happy enough to see them, greeting them both enthusiastically, but Jagged's eyes positively light up as he scans over their journal. "Help Meowt? Promising title!" He hands the journal off to Luka, grinning. "But I really gotta hear someone sing it, y'know?" He gives Rose and Ivan both nods and adds, "You two as well, of course, I wanna see what kinda performance sounds best!"

He still starts with Luka, who blinks and frowns a little as he looks at the lyrics. "Not that I object, but... we don't have a melody yet."

"Improvise!" Jagged encourages, brightly, and Penny sighs and produces a voice recorder from nowhere that Adrien can see. 

It's around then that Anarka finally abandons the wheelhouse to join them, eyeing Jagged Stone with an appreciation that makes Luka and Juleka exchange startled and then distressed looks. Grinning fiercely, Anarka says, "I second the improv idea, kids. C'mon Luka, this is your strength!"

Luka looks down at the lyrics again, takes a deep breath, and does start to sing. His voice rings out rich and clear and strong, putting a melody to the words that Adrien would never have thought of but that clicks neatly into place as though it had been written together with the words. "Help meowt, I've got a plan, ladybug don't fly away home, the battle's not over and the war is not won- help meowt, I'm not kitten around, it's time to unpawse and all fight as one- help meowt, lend me your paw, keep all your focus on pawsitive thoughts, we've gotta plan-"

Jagged looks increasingly pleased the longer Luka sings, and Luka gets more obviously invested in the song with each line.

Ladybug and Chat Noir give each other relieved glances- they hadn't been exactly sure what kind of reception their combined effort would get. 

But Jagged Stone loves it, and the next time Adrien makes his circuitous way over to the Liberty for practice Luka and Rose have settled on the music for it as well. 

They spend a lot longer practising, because to Penny's obvious despair Jagged Stone seems to have only the barest concept of a schedule, and because he's invited them to play with them on other tracks Jagged Stone himself starts stopping by with the kind of frequency that is still a bit stunning to most of them. He's not just Adrien and Marinette's favourite musician, he's Luka and Juleka's as well, and he's at the very least popular with everyone they know. None of the Kitty Section members tell anyone about the album or about Jagged Stone's visits, because they don't want to be swarmed with fans, but they all still go starry-eyed sometimes when they hear Fang and Jagged coming aboard.

The only one who seems unsurprised is Marinette, who admits sheepishly that ever since she'd started doing occasional design work for him Jagged had taken to stopping by the bakery just to greet her every once in a while.

"And you didn't tell anyone?" Rose exclaims, startled, when they're all crammed tightly into Juleka's cabin to pore painstakingly over the track that's still giving them some trouble. 

Marinette shrugs, obviously uncomfortable. "I didn't want to sound like I was bragging. It was a coincidence that he ever asked me in the first place, really."

"Maybe," Luka tells her, leaning half against the wall and half against Adrien, who has zero intention of moving away any time soon. "But it's definitely your skill that _ keeps _him supporting you."

Adrien suffers a moment of panic when he realises he's supposed to somehow record Help Meowt as both Adrien _ and _ Chat Noir, but when he learns they're recording it separately from the other tracks it's easy enough to claim his father won't let him out that day.

It's depressing how easily they believe that. It's more depressing that it's _ true_, he's not supposed to leave and the Gorilla is diligently guarding his door, but Chat Noir has no trouble at all slipping out the window and over to the Liberty.

Marinette couldn't make it either, which is sort of a shame because Ladybug is already there and looking uncharacteristically nervous and Adrien's always thought the two of them would get along well. 

The recording goes smoothly, at least. Acoustics on the Seine are surprisingly well-suited to the wide variety of styles Jagged Stone wants to try out, and ultimately he decides the album is more theirs than his despite mass protesting from the band. 

"No, no, I'm _ already _ famous," he insists, leaning against Fang in a way Adrien strongly suspects would get most people bitten. "You lot are up and coming, and I want to be there to see it when you break into the business!"

Ivan, Juleka, and Rose exchange uncomfortable looks.

"That's really awesome of you, Mr. Stone," Rose finally says hesitantly. "But most of us don't really _ want _ to be famous." She smiles, and it's a sad smile Adrien never thought he'd see from Rose. "Adrien could do with being less famous, I think."

Adrien hopes his mask is doing enough to hide the way he's flushed at that.

In the end, Jagged keeps Adrien's position in the band anonymous just as requested, and although he does promote the album he doesn't do so _ too _heavily once Penny also convinces him that they don't want to overwhelm Kitty Section with sudden attention.

They do, however, generate just enough of a stir that they're able to start selling some of their own music, something Luka tells Adrien had never been possible before.

"Although," he adds wryly, "Ladybug and Chat Noir both wanted Help Meowt to be free, and Jagged sort of fell in love with the idea."

"I noticed," Adrien says dryly, because it's been playing on the radio so often that Father has banned turning on radios anywhere in the house, saying that the lyrics are 'irritating and juvenile.'

Considering the hand he'd had in them, Adrien would have found that painful and discouraging once. Now, when he's caught everyone from Nino to Plagg to Chloe humming it in class or when they were bored, and even heard more than a few people start singing it _ during _ akuma battles, he shrugs off his father's criticism easily. 

Adrien had never truly cared if the song gained popularity, though he's not unhappy that it has. He cares more about the_ band's_ popularity for his friend's sake but he also understands very well why they're all so wary of becoming an overnight sensation, the way they _ definitely _ will if Jagged Stone promotes them the way Penny has been stopping him from doing.

Adrien had really only cared about the opportunity to spend so much time with so many of his friends to create so much music.

(And while Adrien isn't listed by his legal name in any album credits, Chat Noir _ is_).

**Author's Note:**

> yes we are back on the liberty no i dont know why it sorta keeps happening 
> 
> neither follow me to freedom or help meowt are real songs, i just really enjoy puns and used to write poetry
> 
> title is from demi lovato's 'confident'


End file.
